How Much It Costs to Charge Your Tech Devices Annually

Here's an informative bit of trivia worth knowing if you're worried about how much all that portable device charging is costing you and how much energy it uses per year. According to Researcher Baskar Vairmohan of EPRI it just takes $0.25 per year to keep a 3G iPhone charged on average. An iPad uses less than a 60-watt light bulb ($1.36 vs. $1.61...

Even a laptop only requires about $8.31 per year, a good argument for switching from over from a power hungry desktop, which uses $28.21 on average annually.

"These results raise important questions about how the shifting reliance from desktop to laptop to mobile devices will change energy use and electricity requirements for the information age. At less than a penny per charge these findings bring new meaning to the adage, 'A penny for your thoughts.'"

McGranaghan also pointed out that changes in battery technology and technology features will affect energy requirements. "Our measurements indicate that new iPads will consume about 65 percent more electricity per year. What remains to be seen is how better batteries, better features and changing preferences will affect overall energy consumption by consumers as a whole."